Friday, August 31, 2018

5 Ways to Engage in Spiritual Warfare

Be on guard. Stand firm in the Lord. Be
courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love.

1 Corinthians 16:13-14 NLT

Since my recent
post, 5 Ways to Stand Firm During Spiritual Attacks, had such a great response, I thought I would follow
up with more tips on how to engage in spiritual warfare. I found five gems of
truth in my recent One Year Bible reading, and I’m sharing them with you today.

Be on guard.

The enemy prowls
around like a lion, waiting to devour us at the first sign of weakness (1 Peter
5:8). He also disguises himself as an angel of light, pretending to be good
when he is wicked (2 Corinthians 11:14).

We must constantly
guard ourselves with the truth of God’s Word. It will help us determine what is
false and misleading. Memorizing and meditating on God’s Word every day will
help us defeat our enemy on our mind’s battlefield, where so many of our
struggles begin.

Stand firm in the Lord.

We cannot rely on
our own strength when facing spiritual battles. We are only made of flesh, and
the enemy is privy to our weaknesses. Just as he tempted Eve in the Garden of
Eden, so he will tempt us by twisting the truth and telling us lies.

When we stand firm
in the Lord, we our building our spiritual strength on rock instead of sand (Matthew
7:24-27). The fierce firestorms of spiritual warfare will not destroy us,
because our foundation of faith will stand firm.

Be courageous.

As the mighty
warrior Joshua prepared to lead God’s people into the Promised Land, God said
over and over, “Be strong and courageous” (Joshua 1:6). Why? Because God knew Joshua’s
heart and the hearts of all the people. God knew the Israelites would be
tempted to worship other gods again once they settled. They were tempted to
cling to what they knew—wandering in the desert—more than embrace what they
were made for.

Big transitions
can be times of big temptation. This is no different for us now. The enemy
wanted to thwart God’s master plan for his people, just like he wants to thwart
God’s master plan for you. When opportunities for growth, change and forward
movement happen, expect the enemy to attack. But as you take courage, trusting
God to strengthen you, you can face those battles with firm faith.

Be strong.

God will provide
all the strength you need to face your battles. He equips you with truth, righteousness,
peace, faith, salvation, and the power of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 6:14-18).
When you meditate on scriptures about these virtues, you will feel stronger and
more prepared to face your battles.

Another comforting
thought: God will always provide an escape route for your temptations (1
Corinthians 10:13). As you rely closely on the Holy Spirit, your spirit will be
attuned to the way out, so you can stand strong.

Do everything with love.

Does this surprise
you? You probably expect terms like “be on guard,” “be strong,” “be courageous,”
and “stand firm” when you think about facing battles. But this virtue sets us
apart from the world as we handle spiritual warfare.

The world lashes
out, takes revenge, and holds grudges. But if we really want to fight back the
way Jesus did, we will stay calm, think before we speak, confront wisely, turn
the other cheek, pray for our enemies and do good to them, and even forgive
them when they are actively hurting us. I simply thought over Gospel lessons
when compiling that list.

Jesus always
showed love, no matter how people treated him. No matter how much pain and
rejection he faced, he always gave the most loving response, perfectly speaking
the truth in love. His words and actions heaped burning coals on his enemies’
heads (Proverbs 25:22), and he wants our words and actions to do the same.

How do these
scriptures inspire you to engage differently in spiritual warfare?

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2 comments:

I love that you included "do everything with love," Sarah! I think we often forget this part and get so focused on standing firm that we overlook the first thing! Sharing this post all over the place :)

Great thoughts, Sarah! But I especially love your last thought from this passage--how we are to battle with Jesus' love. What a crazy concept and so counter to our culture's approach. But like you've said, it's the way to follow the Savior's lead. Pinning this!

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